City route shut after derailment

The line will be closed until Thursday morning

Train services into Birmingham Moor Street will be severely disrupted until Thursday morning after a freight train hit a wall and derailed.

Four freight train wagons came off the tracks outside the station earlier.

The line south-east of Birmingham will be closed so that engineers can remove debris from the tracks, Chiltern Railways and London Midlands said.

No Chiltern services and only London Midland lines which do not pass through Moor Street will run into the city.

Local and national services to Birmingham New Street are unaffected.

Replacement buses

Chiltern Railways said passengers travelling from Birmingham to London Marylebone could either use their tickets on Virgin Trains' London Euston service or travel to Leamington Spa and join Chiltern trains there.

Peak time services will depart from and arrive at Solihull but all other trains will depart from Dorridge.

London Midland said services from Leamington Spa and Birmingham would terminate at Acocks Green while services from Stratford-upon-Avon would stop at Spring Hill.

Passengers are advised to disembark at Olton and Hall Green to catch buses into the city centre.

London Midland tickets will be valid on Travel WM buses, the train company said.

Passengers will be able to use bus services into the city centre.

Steve Banaghan, managing director of London Midland, said: "London Midland apologises for the inconvenience caused.

"We are working hard to get services back to normal as soon as possible."

An investigation has been launched to find out why the freight train left the tracks in Birmingham.

All passengers are advised to check the National Rail Enquiries website or ring 08457 484950.